They had planned to make a bid for the 20-year-old Derby midfielder last August.

But the highly-rated England Under-21 star then suffered a serious knee injury in the first half of the Rams' season opener against Bolton which ruled him out for six months - and he will not be ready to make his comeback until February.

Everton will wait until Hughes regains his fitness, which means it'll be the close-season before they revive their interest.

Unlucky: Hughes is stretchered off against Bolton in August 2015 (Image: Clint Hughes)

Hughes – who has a contract at Derby for the next two years - is hoping to be back for the crucial final stages of his club’s push for promotion back to the Premier League from the Championship.

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Everton have also leapt ahead of Atletico Madrid in the race to sign £3m-rated Empoli left-back Mario Rui.

The former Benfica player has been in Italy since 2011 and has been a revelation this year, helping unfashionable Empoli to seventh in Serie A.